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Santa Barbara didn’t see the large-scale May Day activism some might have expected, especially considering Arizona’s new hotly-contested anti-immigration law as well as potential local gang injunctions. However, a contingent of about 50 protestors picked a highly-visible and heavily-trafficked spot this Saturday, May 1, to speak out in the name of civil liberties.

Gathered in front of the dolphin fountain at the entrance to Stearns Wharf, the group lambasted SB 1070 (which allows Arizona police to actively hunt down, prosecute, and deport illegal immigrants) and called for Santa Barbarans to recognize what it described as an injustice and a step backward in the national struggle for immigrant rights. Organized by Osiris Castañeda and his YouthCinemedia group, the event was attended by not only young members of the Latino community but also by a cross-section of ages and nationalities.

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While the demonstrators waved handmade signs and chanted slogans such as “Sí se puede!” (“Yes we can!”) and “Arizona, ya basta!” (“Arizona, enough!”) — all the while being filmed by YouthCinemedia videographers — many a passerby honked or waved in support. Due to the demonstration’s close proximity to the AVP Nivea Santa Barbara Open volleyball tournament, hundreds if not thousands passed the small but impassioned party. One couple stopped and joined. “We’re concerned about immigrant rights and outraged by the Arizona law,” they said. “We’ve supported immigration rights in Santa Barbara for a while now, and are happy to lend our voice to the cause.”

There were, however, a few angry shouts of “Illegal!” and a number of middle fingers waved out of passing cars. One man, who said he recently relocated to Orange County from Santa Barbara, was overheard shouting “Idiots!” “They can’t even speak English!” he exclaimed, in reference to some of the slogans chanted in Spanish. “They come here, don’t learn our language and culture, and break our schools, neighborhoods, businesses, and medical care,” he said when pressed for the root of his belligerent hostility. “It’s called Balkanization; it’s nothing new. They come here but they don’t want to assimilate.”

Unfazed by the racism-laced taunts of some angry detractors, Castañeda took the time to speak with a handful of folks who respectfully approached him to debate the issue more sober-mindedly. Castañeda explained that while there will be future forums for the purpose of creating dialogue among community members, Saturday’s event was more of an opportunity to show Santa Barbara that the immigration issue is at the forefront of many people’s minds and that recent events necessitated a visible — though peaceful — call to action. “This is a venue to get voices together,” said Castañeda, “to show [Santa Barbara] that we are here and that we are in opposition to this racial profiling of non-European immigrants.”

The group eventually marched down State Street to De La Guerra Plaza, while a hundred miles or so south 100 Santa Barbarans — bussed down to Los Angeles by P.U.E.B.L.O. — took part in the 50,000-person MEGA-March for Immigration Reform rally. On May 15, P.U.E.B.L.O.’s immigration committee will host a forum addressing, among other issues, how the Latino community is treated by the police force, and the county’s adoption of the federal Secure Communities Program.

I believe the writers use of "racism-laced taunts of some angry detractors" clearly represents and refers to the previous paragraph, which described SOME passers-by who yelled "Illegals," “Idiots!,” “They can’t even speak English!” and drove by with middle fingers aloft. Justified evidence of a racist bent.

I'm sure if you were there, revisionist, you would have been in the "handful of folks who respectfully approached [him] to debate the issue more sober-mindedly" cadre.

If there were racism laced taunts being made, and you can be sure there were, it was to Castaneda's credit that he and the other demonstrators did nor retaliate in angry actions.

I think he said it well, that they are in opposition to racial profiling of non-European immigrants.

And unless we are American Indians, then most of us "proud" Americans are either Descendants of European immigrants or are European immigrants. I will have to look up Balcanization to get a better grip of that biased and perhaps bigoted point of view.

"“They come here, don’t learn our language and culture, and break our schools, neighborhoods, businesses, and medical care,” he said when pressed for the root of his belligerent hostility. “It’s called Balkanization; it’s nothing new. They come here but they don’t want to assimilate.

Unfazed by the racism-laced taunts..."

The author was clearly referring to the Balkanization argument in his characterization of racism-laced taunts.

Here is what New York Times columnist, Ross Douthat has to say on the subject of Arizona, etc. making essentially the same argument characterized as racist. If the famously left-wing NYT allows expressions of doubt about open borders something is changing. Is Mr. Douthat also guilty of racism-laced taunts?

"In a better world, the United States would welcome hundreds of thousands more legal immigrants annually, from a much wider array of countries. A more diverse immigrant population would have fewer opportunities to self-segregate and stronger incentives to assimilate. Fears of a Spanish-speaking reconquista would diminish, and so would the likelihood of backlash. And instead of being heavily skewed toward low-skilled migrants, our system could tilt toward higher-skilled applicants, making America more competitive and less stratified....

But this can only happen if America first regains control of its southern border. There is a widespread pretense that this has been tried and found to be impossible, when really it’s been found difficult and left untried. "

What don't people understand about the word " illegal ", it means someone has broken the law and should be prosecuted or deported. I encourage legal immigration that goes through the process and allows people to come here who are prepared to be here. Since Santa Barbara has declared itself a sanctuary city it has brought to our community gangs and nearly bankruped us. It says it's OK to disobey the law, so why not disobey others?

What would happen if a group of white Americans, say 50 or so, went to Tijuana and stood on a street corner waving American flags, demanded equal treatment, civil rights, and demand the natives speak English?

Is not the current bigotry reaction, the Arizona law, yet just another sign post in the window like "Irish need not apply," blacks to the back of the bus, Jews are arrogant and greedy, gay bashing, women belong in front of a stove not behind a desk, and Japanese to the concentration camps?

I just don't see blond-haired, blue-eyed Aussies crossing the Mexican desert to enter the U.S. illegally... so I guess when I'm on the Mexican-U.S. border I won't be looking for them. What a racist I am!

News flash: you can't make this about race--it's about the LAW. Take it, or please, leave it! GO TO www.fairus.org if you want to learn more about illegal immigration's impacts on the U.S. economy, never mind the national security dangers of an "open" border! They won't be picking up car bombers fleeing the U.S. at JFK, they'll be losing them in the mosh pits of Nogales and Tijuana!

Bird, you are so funny. Have you ever been to Tijuana and watched how white Americans act? (I would suggest going past TJ to either Rosarita Ensenada or Bufadora for more ambience.) Many white Americans go to Baja and leave all their manners and respect for law north of the border. They get drunk, light fireworks, which are illegal, and do expect the Mexicans to speak English, and often treat the native like trash. They do not stand on a corner waving flags, but often stumble and fall drunk in the streets and wonder why they are being taken to jail for just sleeping. So what if they were sleeping in a gutter!!

Many in Mexico do speak English --it is taught in all the schools--and welcome the chance to practice and converse.

I have also found many Americans from north of the border to be very rude and their way of trying to be understood is to raise their voices--in English.

But , to answer your question, Bird, of what would happen is that the people (la gente) would probably just laugh and say :"tan locos" and probably some San Diego reporter would have a good story to write about the Ugly American.

Your second paragragh is an excellent rendering of the underbelly of our American history.

The law in Arizona is wrong, but when you push and push and push people over decades they will finally snap and this is the result.

Any reasonable request for safe neighborhoods, schools that can actually teach and aren't dragged down trying to cope with the *unlimited* influx of a country's least educated and most impoverished people, protection from the gang violence this open border situation causes, or living in a place where "at risk" youth (code word for future gang members) isn't a mainstream concept, is met with the requisite accusations of racism by the usual coterie of civil rights groups, and self-anointed "Latino Leaders".

I remember going to a school board meeting where the subject was bilingual education, at one point, a teacher compared ending bilingual education to "Hitler's Final Solution". (Tell that the the Holocaust survivors who came to the U.S. and gladly learned English). At the same meeting, a self-styled Latino militant screamed "you couldn't stop up at the border, and you can't stop us now" (or words to that effect) and when the comment was translated into Spanish for the parents of the kids (all of whom wanted bilingual education and none of whom made any attempt to speak English at the meeting) the applause from them was deafening.

No doubt there are anti-Mexican bigots who relish what is happening in Arizona, and the behavior of the bigot who taunted the demonstrators is disgusting and unacceptable, but how long can the average American keep getting told to "shut up and get used to it" while they watch their environment go from a peaceful one of infrastucture to one where gang culture, overcrowding, traffic jams, and failed schools rule?

With this in mind, is it any wonder this movement in Arizona is spreading into other states?

Yes, this is ugly stuff, but the pro-open borders people are going to have to pull their heads out of the sand and actually do some thinking instead of their usual race-baiting and guilt-mongering but of course, they have never had answers and clearly, they still don't.

To answer bajamama's question: It seems like it was about two years ago that then-Mayor Blum made Santa Barbara a sanctuary city. I could be off on the time frame, but I clearly remember it happening.

Main concern about law---> if you look like an immigrant, their going to ask you for your papers

Why is this wrong?-- If you have brown skin, dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, then police are going to approach you.Note: Illegal or legal immigrant come in all colors. Hispanics come in blonde hair and blue eyes (From Argentina?) to black skin and brown eyes(From Cuba?). Also there are illegal immigrant from Belize who look exactly like African Americans.

Conclusion: Since illegal or legal immigrants come in every color, everyone in Arizona should get asked for papers. But we all know police are going to target "mexican looking" people. Therefore targeting specific people.

¨the group lambasted SB 1070 (which allows Arizona police to actively hunt down, prosecute, and deport illegal immigrants) and called for Santa Barbarans to recognize what it described as an injustice and a step backward in the national struggle for immigrant rights.¨--It´s important to realize that this isn´t the writer advocating the protester´s stance, but rather simply stating it. Also, he´s not miss characterizing the law, that´s about it in a nut shell.

¨There were, however, a few angry shouts of ´Illegal!´ and a number of middle fingers waved out of passing cars.¨--If this was an advocacy piece why would the author use the adjective ¨few,¨ instead of opting to employ hyperbole and lambasting ¨those racist slingers of vitriol?¨

¨...Castañeda took the time to speak with a handful of folks who respectfully approached him to debate the issue more sober-mindedly.¨--If he is such a close-minded, liberal, advocate why would Hayden include this bit in the article? Wouldn´t it be anithetical to mention that some of those who expressed differing opinions to those of the protesters did so in a civilized manner, by showing a level head and some class? I suppose your main objection is to the clause ¨racism laced taunts.¨ I´m sorry, but how else would you characterize the incoherent, belligerent and unfounded claims made by some of the quoted passers-by?

To call this an opinion piece not only shows a misunderstanding of the fundamentals of journalism, but once again reveals Revisionists inability to reconcile his own world view with the realities of American life ( I´m still waiting for you to look up the definition of ¨revisionism¨ sir).

Second, this issue is so divisive that most people fail to see the forest for the trees. The issue here isn´t that the Arizona law is designed to curtail illegal immigration. The true issue is that it is an afront to civil liberties, a slippery slope if you will. This law can potentially have a wide-spread affect on people´s daily lives. As I read somewhere else ¨There is no sentence more fascist than ´Show me your papers!´¨ How many legal Latino immigrants will be detained on suspicion of being illegal? How many legal immigrants who just LOOK Latino will be detained?

Lastly, to the genius that likened illegal immigration in the U.S. to ¨Balkanization¨--admittedly I had to look it up--bravo! I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. By context I drew that Balkanization was perhaps the Albanian immigration to Kosovo which resulted in the mass killing of Albanians by Serbs. Nope--sorry--you swung for the fences and missed. Balkanization is the continuing process of the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. I fail to see the connection. Maybe this guy thinks the U.S. is going to be split into tiny ethnic enclaves? If this guy is against Balkanization does that make him a communist? I´m sure he would shudder at the thought...

maximum, you recommend the website of people who advocated for and essentially wrote the Show Us Your Papers law in Arizona:

"Kris Kobach, the author of the Arizona law and a lawyer at FAIR’s Immigration Reform Law Institute, has been the prime mover behind numerous ordinances that seek to punish those who aid and abet “illegal aliens,” including laws adopted in Farmer’s Branch, Texas, and Hazelton, Pa." http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2010/04...

I looked at the FAIR website today, and found the second "feature" they highlighted to be both false and without documentation: "May Day Amnesty Rallies Turn Violent"

-no attribution, no links, and no description of the 'violence' the rest of the world also failed to see.

How to fix the illegal immigration 'problem' in 3 steps (while simultaneously lowering obesity, diabetes and other conditions related to intake of high fructose corn syrup) :

1. Support HR 4759 - Repeal NAFTA2. End federal corn/farm subsidies

The NAFTA legislation destroyed the Constitution of Mexico and resulted in the government kicking millions of indigenous farmers off of the land they had been farming for hundreds of years. Corn subsidies in the US along with NAFTA took an additional million or so Mexicans out of the agricultural business. These people are not coming here because they had it bad down there all along, they are coming here because of the disastrous government managed trade legislation known as NAFTA.

3. End welfare entitlements for illegal aliens. If they can find work, then great, they are actually helping grow our economy. But there is no reason we need to subsidize illegal immigration. Whatever you subsidize you get more of.

How NOT to fix the illegal immigration 'problem':

Throw the fourth amendment to the Bill of Rights out the window and try to deport them all, resulting in implementation of a National ID.

This law here in AZ is being passed because of fear, just like gun bans usually are passed. It surprises me that people here are as for giving the cops more rights to pull you over. My question is if they manage to get rid of all illegals who will this law be enforced upon?As far as the profiling goes, sorry Raza we already get profiled there is nothing new there. There are some people who believe Mexicans created the drug problem and the gangs; they are not very avid readers of history I guess. In my block there are is an even amount of hispanics and whites; the only tweakers (meth users) are whites. As far as comparing ourselves to the European Jews during the Third Reich; that is just insulting. It is an insult to the people who lived through it, it is insult to the illegal imigrants who have passed through Mexico to get here and suffered abuse by Mexicans. Those protestors should read up on their history also and while they are at it read the law they passed here in AZ not just believe hearsay. If you are asked for ID (which by law is required for EVERYBODY) and produce an AZ ID, no furthere questions will be asked about your immigration status. If you pull out a matricular consular, then expect questions or have a visa or residency papers ready.For illegals that have been here for 10 or more years and have not gotten into trouble,maintained a job, supported their family; we should consider some sort of amnesty after all that is the American Dream. For those that have not; see you later. That includes european, asian, african, and illegals of all other races. I have seen them all in just SB alone, and I know because they told me so.

The cost of social programs, even after providing them to some illegal immigrants, is a miniscule fraction of what it costs to fight a war, yet no conservatives seem to care about that government spending.

....to be the Devil's Advocate, perhaps the birthrate in Arizona as well as influx by retirees from other parts of the country has boosted its overall population which would mean that the numbers of people coming in from other countries would have to increase to maintain the same comparative numbers.

One often learns a great deal in reading the comments. I thought the safe sanctuary statement was just a facetious statement. Thank you Bill, for clarifying that. And why am I not surprised that it was Mayor Blum? Was she televised when she made this proclamation?

We need a safe sanctuary against drugs and gangs. We need more safe planned activities for our youth--all of them. We need to continue offering ESL classes.I am personally not in favor of bi-lingual classes per se,as I believe immersion into a language is better for the youngsters. However, concepts of math could be taught by bi-lingual teachers so that students, whose first language is Spanish, do not fall behind in that area.This is just my opinion.

This Arizona law is an affront to the civil rights of the targeted people who "look " Hispanic. Is this not profiling?

I remember a time many years ago at Von's at Turnpike that my husband ,as he was putting dog food into the trunk, felt a hand grab him by the neck collar and jerk him back. He thought it was a friend playing a joke, and then was told to "get in the van, you're going to Mexico".. Still being held by the collar, my husband asked , in perfect English, "Are you doing this because I look Latino?" Was this profiling? Was this frightening? Yes, to both.

"I thought the safe sanctuary statement was just a facetious statement. Thank you Bill, for clarifying that. And why am I not surprised that it was Mayor Blum? Was she televised when she made this proclamation?" -bajamama-

I don't know, I only remember reading about it.

"Are we also allowed to note the racist use of the term "cracker?"" -Pinatubo-

Leaving Iraq's oil fields up for grabs is not only careless, it's dangerous. The second largest oil reserves in the world hold too much power to leave it in the hands of some fanatics. While it is trivial to bicker over the cost of illegals when the war uses who knows how many times more money, resources, and lives; but we are where we are.

Have those against Non-European immigrants once stopped to think about what it must be like to live in such an impoverished way?Have they really put themselves into the life of someone with nothing and minimal rights?How promising must a place like the US seem?

What would YOU do if you had the chance to live a better life under those circumstances?Really, give it some thought.

How Orwellian are we going to get before this really spins out of control?!

May I ask how old you are? When the Wall fell and the wars in the Balkans broke out I was four and five respectively. But, no excuses; I´ll take this one on the chin. If your lone critique of my post is that I didn´t know what Balkanization was--something I had already admitted with great humility--then so be it.

Is it so unintelligent to look up and learn a word that one doesn´t know? You´re right. I suppose it´s more intelligent to grossly misuse that word in a public forum, be quoted in a local newspaper and show one´s own self to be ignorant and PERHAPS--don´t take this out of context here buddy--a bit bigoted.

As for your labelling of me as a ¨911 truther,¨ I would say it´s a masterstroke of miscontextualization and misinterpretation by someone who just needs a hug. Is it so unpatriotic to think that one shouldn´t take their cues from a show like South Park, however entertaining it may be? Is it also so unpatriotic to remind people of instances in U.S. history when the U.S government DID kill it´s own servicemen to instigate a war (i.e. The U.S.S Maine and the Gulf of Tonkin)? Yes sir! Here, again you are right. Matt Stone and Trey Parker for joint-secrataries of education. People, I was wrong. I´m sorry. Don´t question anything, just watch South Park instead.

This all being said, I would be more than happy to discuss the break up of the former Yugoslavia with you. Let me know my man, you seem to be on this site often enough ;)

It´s news to me that the rational questioning of our world is synonymous with a low intelligence quotient. Have you ever watched Reading Rainbow? I recommend ¨On Liberty,¨ by one John Stuart Mill. There aren´t any pictures, but I´m sure you´ll love it.

The Border Patrol pulled me over in Arizona once, after I inherited my Mexican mother's dominant genes. The officer asked me about six questions that were so inane that their only purpose could have been to evaluate my accent. (***What*** accent?) It was a little awkward, but not to the point of traumatization. Not like when my mother told me "Mijo, you're white." (And after all those chilaquiles.) Anyway, la migra don't do that no more, right?

So, why the fuss if bad apples in Booking get questioned about their immigration status? A contractor to the Public Defender's Office told me last night that "they're hardly ever innocent." Just how many of the protesters (specifically) have relatives who are frequent fliers en el bote (calaboose)? Let's build a good fence and send the Marielitos (specifically) home. What could be better for race relations? Visualize police blotter columns with mostly non-Hispanic names........

Adonis, the Marielitos are the 4th wave of Cubans to arrive in Miami in 1980.The 1st of 3 waves consisted of the wealthy business leaders chased away by communism circa 1959-1960.The 2nd was the "Pedro Pan" children who came before the parents could secure visas circa 1960-1962.The 3rd (which I came on) were the families that just wanted out of the communist hell hole known as Cuba after Che & Fidel & under Lyndon Baynes Johnsosn's "aerial bridge" they could come circa 1962-1972.These 3 inital waves worked hard to make Miami the business center that it has been for some time.The big thing about those 3 waves was the work ethic & the love for ALL things American, especially the Constitution.Another thing about those waves is that they seldom relied on ANY form of welfare aid, simply out of pride & gratitude to be allowed to enter the US. Mariel was the 4th wave. The sad reality to that wave was that out of 125,000 sent over here ~75% (~94,000) had some sort of criminal record.Out of that 94,000 ~65% (~61,000) were hard core criminals w/ no intention to rehabilitate & w/ violent tendencies.Add to that the cocaine wars between Colombian & Cuban dealers & you got yourself Scarface, but on a realistic variety of different levels.The crime rate in South Beach increased exponentially & the brutality & severity of crimes was more than ever.This wave also felt a sense of entitlement, that they were simply owed whatever they wanted, for whatever reasons I really will never quite understand.The Cubans from the 1st 3 waves had a nasty name for them: Escoria. This is the waste metal shavings left after a metal milling operation that were absolutely useless.It's interesting you mention Marielitos. Did you live in Miami back then? Just curious, would be cool to know that somebody else from my neck of the woods (or beach) is living on the Left Coast :) henry

Sorry, Hank! I should have said "Mexico's version of Marielitos," or something like that. Escoria! It's embarassing to see so many immigrant names in the news, mostly for the wrong reasons. They steal the show from the honest immigrants who vastly outnumber them. Cuban-Americans enjoy a good reputation, and so should Mexican immigrants who deserve it. I breathe a sigh of relief whenever there's a kid in the news for academic or other accomplishments, who has Spanish first and last names. But they'll be discriminated against because of the gross misbehavior of others. Behavior would improve if getting arrested meant a trip back to el pueblito viejo! Do Mexicans coddle criminals in Mexico?

>>"Is it so unintelligent to look up and learn a word that one doesn´t know? You´re right. I suppose it´s more intelligent to grossly misuse that word in a public forum, be quoted in a local newspaper and show one´s own self to be ignorant and PERHAPS--don´t take this out of context here buddy--a bit bigoted."

The guy in the newspaper article used the word correctly. You looked it up and still got it wrong.